Businesses don’t always receive positive reviews. There are instances when people say negative things about the company. It’s inevitable since people have the right to say whatever they want. As long as they follow the rules in writing a review, the content won’t get flagged and moderated. Businesses should try to get positive reviews. When people look for information online, they will rely on reviews first. It reflects what other people have to say about the products and services they got. However, when there are more negative reviews, it could harm the business. Instead of buying from the company, these potential customers will look for other options. Therefore, it’s important to have an online reputation repair strategy to respond to these negative reviews.
Be quick
When people have a negative experience of using the products and services, they will immediately share it online. They won’t mind leaving a negative review to express their frustration. It’s important to have an immediate response. It can prevent the damage from getting worse. If more people can read these negative reviews, they might think that the business is bad. Damage control shouldn’t wait for several weeks or months.
Take time to analyze the reviews
While it’s frustrating to see these reviews, they’re not necessarily incorrect. Some of them might be true, and it’s important to ponder upon what people said. Take time to analyze the situation and determine what led to that negative experience. Avoid responding immediately. It wouldn’t do anything well. These people might also feel frustrated by the response if it wasn’t carefully thought of. If there are employees involved in the incident, it’s important to refer to them first. They know about what happened, and their statement can provide a better way to respond to the negative review.
Be honest and acknowledge the mistake
There’s no need to sugarcoat what happened and pretend that everything is fine. If something wrong happens, the business should acknowledge it. It’s also important to apologize to the customer for that experience. Whether it’s true or not, it’s not for the business to say. Acknowledging the problem isn’t only for the person who said the negative review. It’s also for other people who might read the exchange. They need to realize that the business cares about the customers. Instead of blaming them or accusing them of lying, it would help if the company acknowledges the problem.
Use a professional tone
When writing a review response, the tone should be professional. It applies to any interaction where the communication represents the business. Whether it’s on social media or private emails, maintaining a professional tone is necessary. Even if the person who wrote the review didn’t write politely, the response should be diplomatic. People who read the conversation will form an impression of the business. If the tone is negative and unprofessional, they might think that the business is also the same. While the negative review is terrible, it’s even worse when people think about how unprofessional the employees are. They might not trust the company at all.
There should be a custom response
It’s a terrible thing to create an automated response to all reviews. A canned answer for every negative review online is a big no. People won’t appreciate it. It also lacks effort. There should be a custom response, even if it’s only a short one. It also shows that the business cares. It’s a sign of empathy and concern. Of course, it shouldn’t go too personal. As long as it still sounds professional and diplomatic, it’s good enough.
Don’t argue and have a personal fight
There are times when people get carried away by their emotions. They end up arguing with others because of disagreements on various issues on social media. Never carry that attitude when writing a response to a review. It would lead to terrible results. It doesn’t matter how impolite the person is. The business should stay professional. Going too personal and offering personal attacks to retaliate will only harm the business. It speaks more volumes of the company than the other party.
Take it offline
There are times when the exchanges wouldn’t satisfy the customer. There will still be concerns and other issues. Whether it’s relevant to the first review or not, it shouldn’t remain public. Instead of having a long thread from one review, the business can invite the other party to discuss privately. It didn’t happen through phone calls or email exchanges. The point is that not everything should be publicly available. Other potential customers already saw that the business cards and the review responses were good enough. No one wants to read too much drama with the back-and-forth responses. Discussing things in private will make it easier for both sides to feel satisfied.
Always say thank you
It doesn’t matter if the review was negative. It’s important to be grateful. Again, not everyone will go out of their way to write something about the business. The fact that these people wrote a review means a lot. If they had a terrible experience, they could simply shrug it off and move on. Writing a negative review shows that they care. They want people to know about their experience and send the right message to the company. They want some changes, and the review was an excellent way to do their share.
Online reputation repair should be a priority
It’s impossible to satisfy all customers. Even established brands have loyal customers and people who will never patronize the brand. Therefore, it’s natural to get a negative review. It doesn’t mean that the business is over, and no one will decide to buy anything at all. It means that the business should do better in providing quality products and services. Focusing on online reputation repair should be a priority. People need an immediate response. If the company is too busy with other things, some agencies can provide this service. They can identify the negative reviews online and respond to them as soon as possible. These reputation management agencies know what to do to help businesses remain popular online.
